The invention relates to a discharge apparatus for media. Discharge apparatuses for media are known in many different forms. It is common to all the discharge apparatuses that through the actuation of an actuating element a medium is discharged. To this end it is known to stock or store the medium in a medium or media container from which the medium is discharged by means of a pump element. The pump element and usually also the media container are placed in a casing.
Such discharge apparatuses for media are e.g. generally known in the form of pump atomizers for small perfume bottles.
However, the use of such discharge apparatuses is not limited to the cosmetics field. In fact other liquid media, particularly at least one pharmaceutical substance-containing media can be stored in such a media container and discharged by means of such a discharge apparatus.
It is disadvantageous in such media means that as a result of the use of a pump element it is necessary to have a coaxial arrangement of pump element and media container. The arrangement of the pump element and its main extension axis also predetermine the actuating direction of the actuating element, which is located in the axis of the pump element or in the main axis of the container.
However, an actuation of the actuating element oriented in this way is not always the ergonomically most favourable actuating element arrangement.
Thus, the problem of the invention is to provide a greater freedom of design for the actuation of such discharge apparatuses.
On the basis of a discharge apparatus according to the preamble, this problem is solved by a discharge apparatus having the features of the characterizing part of claim 1.
Media discharge apparatuses according to the invention have a casing, which has a discharge opening for the discharge and in particular spraying of a preferably liquid medium. The media are e.g. cosmetics, particularly perfume, but can also be liquids containing pharmaceutical agents. Fundamentally such a discharge apparatus can be used for any type of medium, which can be discharged from a container by a pump. Particular suitability occurs with liquids, but the contents can equally well have a gel or-foam-like nature. In certain circumstances solid can also be contained in the liquid. Such a discharge apparatus is also suitable if there is a mixing of two fluids or one fluid and a solid during a discharge stroke. The media container storing the dischargeable medium is located in the casing. For delivering medium from the media container to the discharge opening a pump element is provided. On producing a pump element discharge stroke medium is discharged from the media reservoir via the casing discharge opening to the discharge location. The actuation direction of the actuating element is directed away from the stroke direction of the pump element and the angle between the two directions is preferably approximately 90xc2x0.
According to a preferred development of the invention for this purpose the actuating element is held in pivotable manner in the casing in a moving joint about a pivot pin.
According to a further development according to the invention the actuating element is constructed as part of the casing. This casing part is pivotably located on a main body of the casing. By a pivoting movement of the casing part with respect to the main body of the casing, a pump element discharge stroke is produced. The pivoting angle about which the casing part must be pivoted in order to produce a complete discharge stroke is preferably between 5 and 35xc2x0, particularly 15xc2x0. According to an advantageous development the pivot pin is constructed at right angles to the main extension axis of the main body. The main axis includes the stroke direction of the pump element. In particularly preferred manner the casing part contains the discharge opening and the media container and pump element are located in the main casing body.
According to another preferred development of the invention the actuating element is constructed as a pivoted or rocking lever. During a pivoting movement of the pivoting element an operating element constructed on the pivoted lever comes into at least indirect engagement with the pump element in such a way that on actuating the actuating element a pump element discharge stroke is produced. According to a further development the operating element is a gripper arm, which projects on the casing inside away from the actuating element and can engage behind a media container-side bead. During an actuation of the actuating element the gripper arm engages on the bead and starts to engage behind the same. As a result, during actuation, there is an action on the media container in such a way that a pump element discharge stroke is produced. The bead is in particular a fixing means mounted on a glass container neck. By means of said fixing means preferably a piston pump as the pump element is fixed to the media container. Simultaneously the pump element closes the media container opening, as is also the case in numerous other developments according to the invention.
According to another development the operating element is a guide link, in which is guided a slider, which is at least indirectly connected with the pump element, preferably with the piston of a piston pump. According to an advantageous development the slider is shaped on the rising tube leading from the pump element to the discharge opening.
Instead of a slider, as an alternative or additional possibility, the actuating element is acting on a pivoted lever located inside the casing. By the pivoting lever, the length of the lever arms thereof realising a force transmission, a movement is transferred into an actuation of the pump element. The orientation and lever arm length determine both force transmission and change of direction of the force direction of the actuation force into a discharge stroke. An example of such a pivoting lever is a rocker, that is a central bearing pivoting element adapted to generate a 90xc2x0 diversion of force.
According to another preferred development of the invention an operating element is provided on both sides and symmetrically to the pump element. As a result of the bilateral engagement of the operating element on the pump element there is a more uniform force introduction onto the pump element and a tilting or jamming of the pump element during the actuation thereof is prevented.
According to another preferred development of the invention the actuating element is guided in the casing in such a way that it is held in relatively movable manner to the discharge opening, the media container being positionally defined on holding means, is held on the actuating element and placed in the casing and by means of the relative movement of the container with respect to the discharge opening a pump element discharge stroke is produced. According to a further development a rising tube is provided leading from the media container to the discharge opening. The rising tube is constructed in shape-stable manner and by means of the riser tube it is possible to actuate the pump element located on the media container. According to another preferred development of the invention for the fluid-tight fixing of the pump container, the media container has a fixing means, preferably a crimp sleeve. This fixing means has a fixing point, preferably a back-engageable bead or crimp ring, where the container is held on the actuating element.
According to another preferred development of the invention the actuating element acts by means of a reversing means differing therefrom on the medium container. The media container is arranged in relatively movable manner with respect to the discharge opening in the casing and a pump element discharge stroke is produced by the movement of the media container relative to the discharge opening. According to a further development thereof between the discharge opening and the pump element is located a shape-stable rising tube by means of which the pump element discharge stroke can be produced. According to a further development of the invention the reversing means are also constituted by a pivotably arranged lever. It is advantageous if between the actuating element and the lever it is possible to produce an engagement along a variable radius curve. As a result of the shape of the curve and the in each case different radius between the outer edge of the actuating element or lever and the pivot pin, it is possible to predetermine a transmission ratio between the actuating element and the lever which is of an appropriate nature and variable over the actuating path. Advantageously the actuating element can be pivoted into a rest position, where there is no engagement between the actuating element and the reversing means. In this actuating element position the discharge apparatus is secured against unintentional operation.
According to another preferred development of the invention at least one actuating element is provided which, by means of a toothed gear, acts on the pump element. It is advantageous to have two symmetrically arranged actuating elements which are coupled together at least indirectly and in particular via the toothed gear. This arrangement leads to a simultaneous and identically acting actuation of the two actuating elements.
According to another preferred development of the invention the actuating element is rectilinearly guided in a linear guide. According to a further development thereof the actuating element has a contact edge by means of which the actuating element acts on the pump element for producing a discharge stroke. The contact or engagement edge is constructed in such a way that it slides along a corresponding contact point of the pump element. The contact edge is so chamfered with respect to the linear guide that a force component is produced outside the extension direction of the linear guide. The chamfer predetermines a power ratio between the pump element and the actuating element.
According to a further development of the invention a guide link is formed on the actuating element. A slider, which is at least indirectly connected to the pump element, is guided in the guide link. The path curve of the guide link is selected in such a way that a force component acting on the slider is produced, which is not located in the extension direction of the guide link, but instead runs in the actuation direction or the pump element stroke direction. Here again the angle between the path curve and the linear guide is predetermined.
According to a further development of the invention the casing has a guideway, in which is also guided the slider, which is guided in the guide link. The casing-side guideway has the function of intercepting transverse forces, which cannot act towards the production of a pump element discharge stroke.
According to another advantageous development the actuating element has an elastically deformable moulding connected to the casing and preferably hermetically sealing the opening for the actuating element in the casing. Such an elastic moulding component may by itself have the function of the actuating element and also form a flat and/or tight sealing joint between casing and actuating element, this engagement being optional for most of the action mechanisms of the actuating elements for media discharge described herein.
According to an advantageous development of the invention the pump element is an axially operable pump.
In general terms when using the discharge apparatuses according to the invention it can be advantageous for there to be not only a force reversal, but also a force transmission. This can reduce any necessary high actuating forces, such as can e.g. occur if during the discharge a media mixing takes place (fluid-fluid or fluid-solid), at the cost of a correspondingly increased actuating path and as a result a more user-friendly construction is obtained.